1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluid handling apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for connecting a fluid cargo transfer hose to the manifold of a marine tanker.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of fluid transferring devices have been widely used for transferring petroleum or other liquid cargo between a dock or floating barge and a tanker or other marine transport vessel. One apparatus for this purpose, referred to as a marine loading arm, comprises an assembly of large articulated pipe sections that are maneuvered by power equipment to conveniently connect the storage reservoir pipeline on the dock to the manifold of the tanker. With the development of so-called "super-tankers" of huge size and capacity, difficulties have been encountered in providing the necessary port terminals where these vessels can load or discharge their cargoes. Comparatively few ports or harbors are large and/or deep enough to accommodate ships of this size, and it is rarely possible or economical to reconstruct such facilities so that they are adequate for this purpose, especially where the existing installation is relatively primitive and additional space is unavailable.
To overcome this problem, offshore terminals have been built to which a ship can moor or adjacent to which it can anchor. These offshore terminals generally comprise a floating buoy connected to a pipeline system extending along the ocean floor from a storage reservoir, and a large hose connected to the pipeline system at the buoy for transferring the fluid cargo to or from the tanker. After mooring or anchoring procedures are completed the free end of the hose, which is either floating or submerged near the tanker, is picked up by the tanker and connected to its manifold. Because these hoses are large, heavy and quite stiff they are difficult to lift from the water, bend over the rail of the tanker, and secure to the manifold. Such a hose often has a fluid-control valve and an anti-leakage closure cap at its outer end, thereby increasing its weight and the effort that must be exerted in making up the connection between the hose and the manifold.
Previous attempts have been made to reduce the personnel required to carry out the hose-to-manifold connecting operation, including the use of winches to pull the hose towards the manifold, and the use of a short guide chute for guiding the hose in this movement. Many of these earlier proposals are described in United States patents, the more relevant being Marancik U.S. Pat. No. 2,648,201, issued Aug. 11, 1953; Collins U.S. Pat. No. 2,731,800, issued Jan. 24, 1956; Eustace No. 3,773,093, issued Nov. 20, 1973; Whitehouse U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,240, issued Oct. 29, 1974; and Karl et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,590, issued Feb. 4, 1975.
In addition to the elaborate and costly apparatus employed in these earlier systems, they also have the disadvantage of not including a powered actuator for opening and closing the large fluid-control valve at the end of the hose adjacent the tanker manifold. It is very desirable that some type of actuator means for this purpose be included in order to speed up the fluid transfer procedure, and that this actuator means be a part of the tanker's equipment so that deterioration from submergence in salt water is avoided. In order for a powered actuator means to be easily connected and disconnected from the valve, it is necessary that the hose be accurately aligned with the manifold, both axially and rotationally, and this constitutes a difficult task.